Vf.l ] VXX Published Weekly by The Rural Publishing Co., 
3.13 \V. 30th St.. New York. Price One Dollar a Year. 
NEW YORK. JULY 2, 1921 
Entered as Second-Class Matter. .Tune 26. 1879. at the Post v ... . r 
Office at New York, N. Y\. under the Act of MarchS, 1879. i\0. 404t> 
The Marshall Strawberry for Family Supply 
T HE strawberries shown on this page were grown 
at Hope Farm this year. They are fair speci¬ 
mens of the Marshall variety, as we grow it. Of 
course there are some smaller berries, but it would 
have been unite easy, to make lip a box of berries, all 
of them larger than those here shown. We have 
grown the Marshall for over 15 years, and have at¬ 
tempted to. improve the strain by careful selection. 
Very few commercial growers would ever try Mar¬ 
shall after one trial. There are several places in 
New England, however, where this variety is largely 
grown. Around Marshfield, Mass., there are said to 
be acres of Marshalls— 
grown for a special trade. 
Other varieties, for ex¬ 
ample, one known as St. 
Martin, are said to he 
equal to Marshall in size 
and color, and to excel it 
in yield. For family use 
or for a very fancy trade 
we have never found any¬ 
thing more satisfactory 
than the big rod berries 
of Marshall. 
It has both good quali¬ 
ties and faults. With us 
the plants are large and 
healthy. It has a per¬ 
fect flower. It gives, un¬ 
der fancy culture, about 
the largest berry of any 
variety, of a brilliant red 
color and, as we think, 
the finest .quality of any 
Strawberry. On the other 
hand, it is a poor plant- 
maker and a shy bearer. 
It cannot compare in 
yield with a dozen other 
varieties which could be 
named, and it, will not 
give even a fair yield un¬ 
less grown in hills and 
carefully petted. When 
grown in matted rows it 
produces only a few large 
berries on the outside and 
practically nothing inside. 
It is doubtful if it could 
be grown in a commercial 
way at any profit short of 
a retail price of at least 
30 cents a box! Many 
have tried Marshall and rejected it as a failure 
because of its shy bearing. Most of those who try it 
seem to let it run in matted rows, and that is a con¬ 
dition which this variety cannot endure. As a result 
of long selection we seem to have increased the 
power of this variety to make new plants, and have 
somewhat increased the size of the best berries with¬ 
out weakening color or flavor. Those who expect a 
heavy yield, with plants crowded with fruit, will be 
disappointed in Marshall. On one patch tlx is year, 
about 40x40 ft., we picked not far from 100 quarts. 
This means a little less than 4,500 quarts per acre. 
Probably that yield could be fully equalled on a 
large scale by giving the variety the care it requires. 
The plan for handling this crop was as follows: 
In April, 1920, we selected a level piece of strong 
land a little inclined to be moist. A heavy cover of 
rotted stable manure was spread and plowed under, 
and a light dressing of Barium phosphate was raked 
in. The plants were strong runners of the previous 
year’s growth, each dug with a little ball of earth 
around the roots. These were set in rows 3 ft. apart, 
with Ihe plants 2 ft. in the row. On half of the 
patch we planted dwarf peas between the strawberry 
rows, and on the other half early potatoes The ob- 
Scme Marshall Strawberries Grown at Hope Farm 
ject of this was to get something from the laud, so 
as not to give the entire season’s work to the berries. 
The plan was not a success. While’we grew large 
crops of peas and potatoes, it was impossible to keep 
the patch clean after the pens and potatoes ‘‘fell 
down.” r l’he weeds and grass came in quickly, and 
It was an endless job to try to keep the berry plants 
clean. Nor could the plants make full growth in the 
shade of the vines. 
This year we follow much the same plan, but 
plant nothing between the rows. This space will he 
kept open and cleaned with hoc and cultivator until 
wc are ready to fill in. That is done when the 
strong runners begin to work out from the Spring- 
set plants. The plan then is to set a row of these 
stronger runners in the centers, midway between 
each two rows of plants. A moist day is best for 
this work. We run a line straight down the center, 
get down on our knees with a trowel and dig up the 
strongest runner plants, each with a little ball of 
dirt around the roots. The connecting vine is cut. 
and the little plant firmly set along the line. When we 
are done the plants are distributed all over the patch, 
is in. each way. At this time we like to give a light 
feeding of some good fertilizer strong in phosphorus. 
It is then a question of 
keeping the patch clean 
and cutting off the sur¬ 
plus runners. If the patch 
is level and free from 
Stones, as it should be, a 
scuffle, or Dutch hoe, will 
work very well among 
these closely - packed 
plants. You must under¬ 
stand that the Marshall 
strawberry will not thrive 
under the culture which 
would suit buckwheat or 
rye. If you expect a crop 
of big red berries you 
must treat your plants 
like babies, and give them 
every attention. They 
must grow in hills, and 
that means chopping off 
all but about four of the 
best runners from each 
plant. You can make a 
good tool for doing this 
by having a blacksmith 
heat the back of a hoe 
and hammer it out 
straight, so that the blade 
of the lioe. instead of be¬ 
ing used to scrape the 
ground, will stand 
straight down from the 
handle and can be chop¬ 
ped or dug into the 
ground. Then, if the hoe 
edge is ground sharp, you 
can walk along the row 
\vith tin* hoc in your hand, 
striking straight down at 
the runners, and thus 
chopping them off before 
they root. This is a constant and endless job if it 
is properly followed up, but is one of the necessities 
i>> growing a good crop of Marshall berries. 
In other cases the plants are set 18 in. each way 
in the Spring, with no later work at transplanting. 
This will give a larger crop, but will also require far 
more hand work, since the rows are too close, and it 
would he impossible to use horse tools. By leaving 
the centers open until the runners are of good size 
we can clean the patch at much less expense. The 
transplanted runners will not give as large a crop as 
the Spring-set plants. Each year, after fruiting, the 
old plants may be spaded or plowed under and thus 
